Aerosol dispensing attachment



Nov. 14, 1967 .1-. TRACY ET AEROSOL DISPENSING ATTACHMENT 5 Shee1;sSheet1 Filed Oct. 15, 1965 INVENTOI-PS. R/CHAI'? D D ZE/VGER GERALD T TRACYNov. 14, 1967 TRACY ET AL 3,352,457

AEROSOL DI SPENS ING ATTACHMENT Filed Oct. 15, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 2l/Vl/E/VTORS RICHARD D. ZE/VGER GERALD 7T TRACY Iii Nov. 14, 1967 TRACYETAL v AEROSOL DISPENSING ATTACHMENT I 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 15.1965 INVENTORS. R/CHARD D. ZE/VGER GER/1L0 '7'. 7 94 C Y United StatesPatent Ofiice' 3,352,457 AEROSOL DISPENSING ATTACHWIENT Gerald T. Tracy,Clarendon Hills, and Richard D. Zenger,

Lisle, Ill., assignors to National Can Corporation, Chicage, 11]., acorporation of Delaware Filed Get. 15, 1965, Ser. No. 496,585 9 Claims.(Cl. 22252) The present invention relates to an aerosol dispenserattachment, and more particularly to a combination dispenser unitincluding a gas pressure regulator, gas pressure source, applicatorassembly, and clamp unit for removably attaching such dispenser unit toa large size throw-away type container.

Within the last ten years, the number and type of products of commercewhich have been put into aerosol containers for dispensing therefrom hasincreased at a substantial rate, and aerosol cans of all types havefound great favor with the public. At present, approximately one andone-half billion aerosol can units are sold for a wide variety ofpurposes throughout the United States every year. Depending on thenature of the product, a large number of advantages are made possible byfine mist or aerosol dispensing techniques. Such advantages, in general,include, in addition to convenience, greater precision of application,labor saving, simplicity, careful control of application, and the like.

Products which are advantageously sold in aerosol containers and adaptedto be dispensed therefrom include, but are not limited to, cosmeticproducts such as hairspray, mouth washes, deodorant and shaving creams;household and general utility products, such as paints and othercoatings, adhesives, and preservatives; products designed forspecialized uses, such as insect control, bacteria control, control ofodors, and the like; as well as such relatively recently developedproducts as local anesthetics, and medicines of various sorts fortopical application. Many other types and classes of products includingsolid but fluent products, such as powders, etc., are known to thoseskilled in the art to be suitable for dispensing from aerosolcontainers.

In almost every case When aerosol, spray, or fine mist dispensing isdesirable, the aerosol can has become extremely popular, because itcombines a number of advantages at reasonable cost. However, the size ofaerosol containers which it is practical to make for throw awayconsumption is limited by the size thereof, that is it is not practicalto construct, at low costs, a vessel which will safely contain 100 to150 p.s.i. working pressures in sizes larger than one pint or one quart.Accordingly, the common current popular size of aerosol dispensers are6, 7, 8, 12, 16, and 20 02. sizes.

In many instances, however, either because a relatively large amount ofaerosol product is sought to be used, such as in outdoor spraying onshrubs, trees and the like, or spray painting, or a labor-savingadvantage is desired in a commercial type operation, such as in the caseof commercial beauty operators applynng hairspray, the requirements ofkeeping large amounts of material on hand in one container isinconsistent with the requirements imposed by considerations of strengthand safety. Large scale aerosol or mist dispensing of products, such asinsecticides and paints has been heretofore known, but such formerlyknown dispensing devices, when used with large capacity containers, haveconsisted of expensive components, such as motorized compressors,storage tanks, pressure regulators and the like.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a devicewhich economically makes possible dispensing large volumes of aerosolproducts, without requiring that the person desiring to dispense suchproducts make large investments in undesirably heavy containers orcomplicated pressure supply and operating equipment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which makes itpossible to dispense products from large containers which are economicaland can be thrown away after use.

An additional object is to provide a compact, simple and inexpensiveaerosol system, wherein the person dispensing the product need not carrythe weight of the full container in his hand.

A further object of the invention is to provide a dispenser unit whichis adapted to be removably disposed over a throw-away container andwhich is adapted to contain a pressure supply source, such as aminiature high pressure gas cylinder, a clamp member, a pressure sealmember, and an applicator device which is attached to the unit byextensible means such as a flexible extension hose.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser unithaving the foregoing advantages, and further including an extensibledischarge tip which is adapted to be operated at a distance remote fromthe hand of the operator.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser unitwhich integrally includes a simple but accurate pressure regulatoradapted to allow a full container of product to be acted upon by amoderate but constant pressure which is adequate to cause aerosol ormist discharge of products from the container.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a removabledispenser unit in which a pressure source and a pressure regulator arecompactly combined in the form of a handle to facilitate transportingthe container to which the dispenser is removably attached.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention,including those inherent therein, will become more apparent whenconsidered in conjunction with a description of the preferredembodiments of the invention as described more fully in thespecification and in the appended claims and as shown in the drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view showing the dispenser attachment ofthe recent invention attached to a disposable can with phantom linesshowing the applicator portion of the unit in a position of use;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the dispenser attachment unit of FIG. 1;

FIG; 3 is a vertical sectional view of the dispenser attachment anddisposable can, taken along lines 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the regulator assemblyof the dispenser attachment;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view, taken along lines 5-5 of FIG. 6 ofthe handle assembly;

FIG. 6 is an end elevational view ofthe dispenser attachment, shown inplace over a disposable container;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged top'pl an view, with portions broken away, of theapplicator unit of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of a modified form of the applicatorunit used in combination in the present invention;

FIG. 9 is an end elevational view of the applicator of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a horizontal sectional view of a portion of the applicator ofFIG. 8 taken along lines 6-6 thereof.

Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, FIG. 3 shows a can C orother like disposable container to which the dispenser unit 30 of thepresent invention is removably attached.

This figure also shows an exterior handle cover 20 which is attached tothe main body 22, the main body 22 terminating at its downward end in arubber or like Patented Nov. 14, 1967 flexible seal member 23. Means foraflixing the body 22 to the can C in the form of a clamp 24 havingouter, seam gripping flanges 25 are provided. A dip tube 25 is adaptedto extend into the container C, and fiuids passing through the dip tubemay also pass centrally through a portionof the main body 22 as will bedescribed more fullyhereinafter. A pressure regulator 28 is disposed atleast partially within-the main body 22, for supplying a regulatedoperating pressure to force liquid through the dip tube 26, through theextension hose 34, into the applicator 32 and out the orifice 36 of thenozzle 38.

In the preferred embodiment. of the invention, the combination cylinderand regulator accommodating assembly is in the form of a handle, tofacilitate transportation of the can from point to point.

Referring now to-the regulator assembly in greater detail, it can beseen fromFIG. 4 that the handle cover 20 is'adapted to partially containa gas cartridge 42 (broken lines) which is held in place between thecover 20 and the handle body 44 by means of the cooperation betweenthescrew threads 48' on the body 44 and the threads 46 on the cover 20.An ring 50 or like seal member is provided to keep the entirecartridge-containing assembly in a gas-tight condition. A steel piercingpin 52 is mounted in the inner portion of the handle cover 20, the pin52 being adapted to pierce the cartridge 42 in order to allow the gas toescape therefrom. The gas thus discharged traverses one or more passages54in the handle unit 20 and then enters a high pressure chamber 56 inthe handle body 44.

At the bottom of the high pressure chamber 40 is a valve accommodatingpassage 58', and flow through the passage 58 is controlled by a valveassembly comprising a valve proper 60 and avalve seat' 62. A small valvespring engages the top shoulder 66 of the valve'60; A valve operating.piston 68 is connected, by means of a valve stem-70,' to the -valve 60,and the piston is allowed to reciprocate in the bore 72 which defines'alow pressure-chamber for gas passing through the passage 58. The piston68 is urged toward an open position of the valve 60 by the action of thepiston spring 74 acting against the spring base 76, while a piston ring78, such as of O ring or other-conventional construction, seals the lowpressure chamber 72 and maintains the same in a gas-tight condition. Anexcess pressure passage 80 is adapted to communicate between the lowpressure chamber 72' and the atmosphere, by reason of'the communicationbetween the bottom passage 80' and'the venting port 82 in the springbase 76. A verticallow pressure gas passage 84 is provided in the mainbody 22 to allow passage. of gas from the low pressure chamber 72 to theinterior'of the container C.v

Referring now to the means for securing the dispenser unit to thecontainer C, in the preferred embodiment, a pair of outwardly extending,opposed legs 24 terminate in flanges 25=which are adapted to receive thechime or double seam of a throw away style container. This clampmay-be'made from steel or astifif plastic, or-the like-In thisembodiment, the seal member 23 is shown as extending into an opening inthe container top, habit is understood that the bottom edges of theseal-member 23 may surround a somewhat smaller opening which is adaptedonly to receive the dip tube 26 and allow'passage of the gas through thepassage 84 into the container. An.- otherprinci'pal element of thepresent invention is the applicator unit 32, which is adapted to containa central passageway 35 therein for allowing product to fiow'from thehose 34. A conventional aerosol dispensing valve 38, of a type wellknown to those skilled in the art, is'secured to the top portion of theapplicator 32, and when the valve 38' is actuated, product flows out theorifice 36in the conventional manner.

An alternate form of applicator is shown in. FIGS. 8 through inclusive.This figure shows the. conventional applicator 32 as including anextension member 90 for locating the spray orifice 36 closer to workwhich might be in an otherwise inaccessible position. In this embodi'ment, an operating handle 96 having a lower trigger 94 is secured overthe extension by collars 98, and is adapted to operate by having the topportion 100 thereof depress the valve 38 when the trigger 94 isactuated. The extension 90 may reciprocate in a. bore in the handle 36if desired.

In the position of rest, the applicator 32 is removably attached to theclamp 24 by means of the holder 102. This holder has a central openingadapted to receive the hook member 104 which is fixedly attached to theapplicator 32. Thus, for transporting the unit, the applicator 32 may beattached to the clamp 24 and the entire unit transported by grasping thehandle cover 20. After placing the entire package near the point ofintended use, the applicator 32 may be removed and manipulated to suitthe intended purposes of the user.

Referring now to the operation of the regulator shown in FIG. 4, aftera'cartridge 42 is inserted into the handle body 44, the cover 20 isplaced over the cartridge 42 and rotated after the screw threads 46, 48are engaged, the pin 52 pierces the cartridge 42, and the handle coveris firmly seated. Thereupon, gas is discharged from the cartridge 42 andenters the high pressure chamber 56. Initially, the piston spring 74 hasurged the valve 60 into an open position, and gas flows through thepassage 58' into the low pressure chamber 72, down the gas passage 84andinto the head space above thematerial in'the container'C. As headspace pressure reaches a predetermined level, the piston 68 overcomesthe force of the'spring 74 in compression and moves the stem 70 and thevalve 60 toward a closed position, shutting oif the flow of gas into thelow pressure chamber. When the pressure drops below the predetermineddesired level, the spring 74 urges the piston and valve assembly into anopen position and gas is transferred into the low pressure chamberuntilthe desired pressure is reached, whereupon the valve 60 again shutsoff the source of gas supply.

The small valve spring 64 tends to act as a damper and keeps themovement of the valve 60 to a minimum, but this spring 64 is notstrictly necessary in accordance with the present invention.

In the embodiment shown in the drawings, :a clamp member engaging thechimes of the can has been shown. In the alternative, however, a threadmember may be used in association with the seal 23 so that the unit maybe screwed into an opening in the top of the container C. Likewise,other means are known to those skilled in the art for removablyfastening a dispenser to the container unit.

One principal advantage of the present invention is that many aerosolproducts can safely be dispensed from cans of one-half gallon and onegallon sizes which are adapted to hold a pressure of only about 30 to 50p.s.i., which desirably increases the safety factor of aerosolcontainers and permits the larger size containers to be made by methodswhich are already conventional in the can industry. In an ordinary,present day aerosol container, very high pressures are required to beheld because no mechanical pressure regulator means is present.Therefore, enough propellant must be present to insure discharge .of allthe contents. Consequently, the initial discharge takes place at a muchhigher pressure than discharge .of the final portion of the product.Therefore, although many products can be satisfactorily dispensed at apressure of'30 to 50 p.s.i., ordinary aerosol cans ordinarily initiallydispense such products at 50 to 100 p.s.i. so that a final workingpressure of at least 30 p.s.i. can be maintained.

The dispenser attachment of the present invention, however, makes itpossible to utilize regular, inexpensive, commercially available gascylinders as well as conventional cans. Thus, far less propellant isrequired to be used, since lowerdispensingpressures are used, andsubstantially all of the container may be filled with product. On theother hand, in many aerosol products of commece today, a propellant mayoccupy up to one-ha1f or more of the volume of the container.

Although various types of propellants are desired for various aerosolproducts, a large variety of propellants, such as carbon dioxide,nitrogen, nitrous oxide and many fluorocarbons (Freons) are available incartridge form. I have found that, depending on the propellant and theworking pressure required to dispense the products held inthe container,a gas cartridge of eight to twenty-five grams capacity is preferred. Forexample, eight grams of carbon dioxide is sufiicient to dispense onegallon of certain liquids at low pressures, whereas up to twentyfivegrams of dilferent propellants might be required for one-half gallon ofmaterial to be dispensed at considerably higher pressures.

Although a spray type aerosol valve 38 has been shown in the drawings,it is understood that other types of known aerosol valves may besubstituted, when the type of product to be dispensed requires them. Forexample, products such as foams and shaving creams use different typenozzles thanhairand insect sprays, semisolid products such asmustard,catsup, etc., use a third type of dispensing valve,

In the embodiments referred to above, the means for connecting thedispensing valve, such as an aerosol valve or the like, tothe productpassage means and dip tube are shown to be a flexible hose, tube, or thelike. In some embodiments, however, the conduit means through which theproduct travels from the dip tube to the dispensing valve may be in theform of a short rigid member, or a relatively rigid member, such as arod or the like.

Thus, if the dispenser attachment of the present invention is to "beused for dispensing semi-solid foods such as catsup or mustard, theconduit means may be a short tube, the dispensing valve a suitable valvefor such product, and the container may be placed a short distance fromthe dispensing point. Thus, at cafeterias, ballparks, etc., thecontainer may be located adjacent the dispensing point and the entiredispensing unit maybe relatively fixed, with the container adapted to bereadily removed from the dispenser for replacement purposes.

In other cases, such as in restaurant kitchens and the like, the valveand conduit means may be relatively fixed, but located some distanceremote from the container, which is removably attached to the dispenser.In such cases, the container may be filled with salad oils, dressings,or the like.

In another embodiment, a relatively long vertical rod and fixeddispensing valve assembly can be built into the cabinet, and a productdispensed therefrom. Such an embodiment is useful in a barbershop forexample, where shaving lather can be placed in the container, which iseither remotely or proximately mounted with respect to the dispensingvalve, and the conduit means is selected accordingly.

Although in many cases, the hose attachment to the applicator unit isdesirable, in some instances, the user may desire to transport theentire unit by hand, have it afi'ixed to a small wheeled vehicle or thelike, or have it attached, for example, to a floor machine or the likefor use in spray dispensing waxes, soaps, or the like.

It can thus be seen, from the above description, from the appendedclaims, taken in conjunction with the drawings, that the presentinvention provides a new and useful dispenser attachment having a numberof novel advantages and characteristics including those hereinbeforepointed out and others which are inherent therein. I contemplate thatcertain changes and variations may be made by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of theappended claims.

I claim:

1. A dispenser unit for removable attachment to a can adapted to holdfluent material therein, said unit comprising, in combination,

(a) a main body unit, including a combination seal sup port and sealring assembly adapted to closely surround an opening in the top of saidcontainer and bear on the top panel of said container to form agas-tight seal between said main body and the top of said container;

(b) means for attaching said dispenser to said can,

said means being attached to said main body;

(c) a regulator body attached to said main body;

(d) a cover for said regulator body, said regulator body and said covercombining to define therein means for receiving a high pressure gascylinder;

(e) a gas pressure regulator including a low pressure gas chamberdisposed in said regulator body;

(f) a gas pressure passage extending through said combination sealsupport and seal ring assembly and adapted to connect said low pressurechamber with the interior of said can;

(g) product passage means extending through said combination sealsupport and seal ring assembly and adapted to communicate with exteriorproduct dispensing conduit means,

(h) flexible product dispensing conduit means connected to said productdispensing passage; and

(i) an applicator unit, including a dispensing valve means therein,operatively attached to said flexible product dispensing conduit means.

2. A dispenser unit as defined in claim 1 in which said means forattaching said dispenser to said can comprise a stitt but resilientbracket including two outwardly extending leg members terminating inflanges which are adapted to grip a chime extending around the upperedges of said can.

3. A dispenser unit as defined in claim 1 in which said regulator is apiston type, spring balanced regulator, comprising a high pressurechamber, a low pressure chamber, a communicating passage between saidchambers, valve means for opening and closing said passage, and a pistonoperatively attached to said valve means. 7

4. A dispenser unit as defined in claim 1 in which said applicator unitadditionally includes an extensible member for situating said aerosoldispensing valve a substantial distance from the remainder of saidapplicator unit and wherein said dispensing valve is operativelyconnected to a trigger for remote operation of said dispensing valve.

5. A dispenser units as defined in claim 1 in which said flexibleproduct dispensing conduit means comprises a flexible hose member.

6. A dispenser unit as defined in claim 1 in which said dispensing valvecomprises an aerosol spray valve.

7. A dispenser unit as defined in claim 1 in which said product passagemeans extending through said combination seal ring and seal supportassembly is in the form of a dip tube adapted to extend into saidcontainer.

8. A dispenser unit for removable attachment to a can adapted to holdfluent material therein, said unit comprising, in combination,

(a) a main body unit, including a combination seal support and seal ringassembly adapted to closely surround an opening in the top of saidcontainer and bear on the top panel of said container to form agas-tight seal between said main body and the top of said container;

(-b) means for attaching said dispenser to said can,

said means being attached to said main body;

(c) a regulator body attached to said main body;

(d) a cover for said regulator body, said regulator body and said covercombining to define therein means for receiving a high pressure gascylinder;

(e) a gas pressure regulator including a low pressure gas chamberdisposed in said regulator body;

(t) a gas pressure passage extending through said combination sealsupport. and seal ring assembly and adapted to connect said low pressurechamber with the interior ofsa-id can;

(g) product passage means extending through said combination sealsupport and seal ring assembly and adapted. to communicate with exteriorproduct dispensing conduit means;

(h) flexible product dispensing conduit means connected to said productdispensing passage; and

(i) an applicator unit, including a dispensing valve means,- therein,operatively attached to said flexible product dispensing. conduit means,said regulator body. and, said cover for said regulator body beingin'the-form of. a handle member overlying said can and having atleasta'portion thereof disposed, in use, generally centrally of saidcan, said member being adapted to be grasped by the hand of a person.

9. A dispenser unit for removable attachment to a can adapted toholdfluent material therein, said unit comprising, in combination,

(a) a main body unit, including a combination seal vsupport and sealring assembly adapted to closely surround an openingin the top of saidcontainer and bear on the top panel of said container to form agas-tight seal between said main-body and the top of said container;

(b) means for attaching said dispenser to said can, said meansbeingattached tosaid main body;

(c) a regulator body attached to said main body;

(d) a. cover for said regulator body, said regulator body and said covercombining to define therein means for receiving ahigh pressure gascylinder; (e) a gas pressure regulator including alow pressure gas.chamberdisposed. in saidv regulator body;

g. (f) a gas pressure passage extending through said-com bination sealsupport and seal ring assembly and adapted to connect said low pressurechamberwith the interior of said can; I

(g) product passage means extending through said combination sealsupport and sealring assembly and. adapted to communicate with exteriorproduct dispensing, conduit means; 7

(h) flexible product dispensing conduit means connected to said productdispensing passage;

(i) an applicator unit, including a dispensing valve means therein,operatively attached to said flexible product dispensing conduit means;

(j) applicator suporting means disposed onv said means for attachingsaid dispenser to said camand (k) means on said applicator forengag'ingsaid supporting means and suspending said applicator therefrom,

whereby said applicator may be removably supported by said attachingmeans.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,344,801" 6/ 1920 Kitaoka222-432 2,367,077 1/ 1945 Ward 222-'400.7 2,492,309 12/ 1949 MillerZZZ-82 X- 2,790,679 4/ 1957 Martindale ZZZ-400.7 3,006,515 10/1961Midnight: 222-40037" 3,039,661 5/ 1962 Wentz et'al'. 222-400.7f

30 ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner.

HADD S. LANE, Examiner.

1. A DISPENSER UNIT FOR REMOVABLE ATTACHMENT TO A CAN ADAPTED TO HOLDFLUENT MATERIAL THEREIN, SAID UNIT COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, (A) AMAIN BODY UNIT, INCLUDING A COMBINATION SEAL SUPPORT AND SEAL RINGASSEMBLY ADAPTED TO CLOSELY SURROUND AN OPENING IN THE TOP OF SAIDCONTAINER AND BEAR ON THE TOP PANEL OF SAID CONTAINER TO FORM AGAS-TIGHT SEAL BETWEEN SAID MAIN BODY AND THE TOP OF SAID CONTAINER; (B)MEANS FOR ATTACHING SAID DISPENSER TO SAID CAN, SAID MEANS BEINGATTACHED TO SAID MAIN BODY; (C) A REGULATOR BODY ATTACHED TO SAID MAINBODY; (D) A COVER FOR SAID REGULATOR BODY, SAID REGULATOR BODY AND SAIDCOVER COMBINING TO DEFINE THEREIN MEANS FOR RECEIVING A HIGH PRESSUREGAS CYLINDER; (E) A GAS PRESSURE REGULATOR INCLUDING A LOW PRESSURE GASCHAMBER DISPOSED IN SAID REGULATOR BODY; (F) A GAS PRESSURE PASSAGEEXTENDING THROUGH SAID COMBINATION SEAL SUPPORT AND SEAL RING ASSEMBLYAND ADAPTED TO CONNECT SAID LOW PRESSURE CHAMBER WITH THE INTERIOR OFSAID CAN; (G) PRODUCT PASSAGE MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID COMBINATIONSEAL SUPPORT AND SEAL RING ASSEMBLY AND ADAPTED TO COMMUNICATE WITHEXTERIOR PRODUCT DISPENSING CONDUIT MEANS, (H) FLEXIBLE PRODUCTDISPENSING CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID PRODUCT DISPENSING PASSAGE;AND (I) AN APPLICATOR UNIT, INCLUDING A DISPENSING VALVE MEANS THEREIN,OPERATIVELY ATTACHED TO SAID FLEXIBLE PRODUCT DISPENSING CONDUIT MEANS.